Planning Library · §3 + §9.2 Operations

How the building runs.

Phased staffing, hours of operation, programming cadence, and the daily rhythm of café + farm stand + education center under one roof. Six days per week at launch; expand to seven once the second hire is in place.

Staffing plan (phased)

Executive Director

Drew Keske (founder)

Operator-in-chief at launch: running daily operations, curating programming, building partnerships, managing the space, grant writing, bookkeeping. Hours stabilize at 20–25/week by Phase D.

Cook

First hire — Phase C

Operational from day one of opening. Owns the café kitchen, daily menu execution, prep, supplier receiving, kitchen sanitation, and Health Department compliance.

Programming Coordinator / Food Operations Assistant

Second hire — Phase D (within 12–18 months)

Either programming-leaning (workshops, films, community table dinners, partner outreach) or operations-leaning (farm stand, EBT, inventory, retail). Hire shape depends on what the GM is most stretched on at the time.

Year-1 jobs created (FTE): 2 — founder + cook. Section 8 core metrics target.

Hours of operation (launch — six days/week)

Closed Mondays. Monday is the admin day.

Monday

Closed. Admin day — farm ordering, bookkeeping, programming planning, grant writing, email.

Tuesday – Friday

8 AM – 3 PM. Café + farm stand. Evening events on scheduled nights.

Saturday

8 AM – 3 PM. Expanded farm stand. Weekend event programming.

Sunday

9 AM – 2 PM. Lighter hours.

Once a second hire is in place (Phase D), expand to seven days with Monday as a lighter-hours day (coffee and farm stand, no full kitchen) or rotate staff to give Drew a full day off.

Daily operation — three programs, one room

Café service

Counter service, seat-yourself open seating, seasonal rotating menu (pizzas, burritos/wraps, salads, soup, coffee/tea, baked goods).

Farm stand

Curated daily produce from Salinas/Pajaro Valley farms. Value-added products (honey, preserves, olive oil, baked goods). CalFresh/EBT accepted from day one.

Education programming

Owned and curated by Groundworks. Partners welcome as guest contributors. Two events/week on a set schedule.

Composting

Local composting service or partner-farm pickup from day one (~$50–$100/month). Non-negotiable for mission integrity.

Programming cadence (launch)

A set weekly schedule. Scale with capacity.

→Two events per week at launch.
→One weekday evening session (workshop or cooking demo).
→One weekend event (film night, guest talk, or community table dinner on rotation).
→Community table dinner within first month of opening.
→Kegs for a Cause within first month of opening.

Alcohol licensing

Phased — temporary at launch, Type 41 in Year 2.

At launch, use California ABC one-day temporary event permits ($25 each) for individual events. In Year 2 (Phase D), apply for a Type 41 license (beer and wine for on-premises consumption at a bona fide eating place, approximately $600–$1,000 application fee). This phased approach avoids permitting complexity at launch while preserving the option for permanent service.

Bilingual commitment

Bilingual signage and menus at launch.

Seaside and Marina are roughly 40% Latino/Hispanic. The Salinas Valley farming communities Groundworks sources from are predominantly Latinx. At launch: bilingual signage and menus. Over time: bilingual social media, select programming in Spanish, and ideally bilingual staff. Both a mission value and a grant-strengthening commitment.